Whiskey Lullaby
by follow you into the night
Summary: No one ever expects the absence of a single person to so thoroughly ruin their lives.  Yet, seven teens find themselves lost as they deal with the catalyst one person caused just by boarding a plane.  Based loosly on the song Whiskey Lullaby.
1. Chapter 1

**_I know that I currently have two other stories that I should be updating, but I have been nonstop listening to this song for over a week now. I figured it was about time I used it in a story, even though it makes for a horribly depressing story. There is no real plot line, so if I didn't make something clear then feel free to ask and I can explain it. Which reminds me, the song is Whiskey Lullaby by Brad Paisly. If you have never heard it, then I suggest you look it up!_**

**_Oh, and this is in Amber's POV! I am sure somebody would have figured that out, but might as well mention it!_**

_She put him out like the burnin' end of a midnight cigarette_  
><em>She broke his heart he spent his whole life tryin' to forget<em>  
><em>We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time<em>  
><em>But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind<em>  
><em>Until the night<em>

One of the saddest days of my life was the day Nina left. But what truly made that day sad was observing Fabian. It was painful to watch him run into the airport, tears streaming down his face. It was heart breaking when I had to tell him, he was too late. Nina disappeared from our lives without any warning. She gave no reasons. She gave no answers.

I watched from the doorway at Fabian's futile attempt to call her, and text her, and email her. She never answered. It was like Joy all over again, only this time Nina had left of her own free will. No one ever mentioned her name after that first day. Alfie had mistakenly made a reference to our Sibuna club once. I watched silently from my seat as Fabian smashed his fist into the counter, splintering the wood.

I ignored Mick and Mara's questioning gazes. I pretended not to notice Patricia swiftly escaping the tension of the room with glazed eyes. I did, however, meet Fabian's eyes.

The turmoil brewing within that one look sent shivers throughout my entire body. I had never witnessed a person as broken as Fabian. It would not surprise me in the least if he blamed himself, even though we were all blind sighted by Nina's sudden choice to leave us.

I watched as the house began to disintegrate. Within Anubis House, not a single one of us associated with each other. Everyone, even me, began to branch out and befriend others. No one wanted a reminder of Nina or the mystery or Sibuna, but just being here was slowly killing all of us. The worst off was still Fabian. As the rest of us branched off, we neglected to remember to pick Fabian up and carry him with us. He remained in a pile of deep sorrow and underlying hatred, which he had remained in since the day he ran into the airport…too late.

_He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger_  
><em>And finally drank away her memory<em>  
><em>Life is short but this time it was bigger<em>  
><em>Than the strength he had to get up off his knees<em>

One night, three months after Nina's sudden move, I woke up in the middle of the night. A strange sensation filled me, as I felt compelled to get out of bed. From there, an invisible force nudged me out of my room and down the stairs, until it vanished as I reached the cellar door. Before I ever even had the chance to return back to sleep, I heard the faint sound of glass shattering from beyond the door.

The Sibuna club had enhanced my sense of curiosity, so it was of my own free will that I eased the door open. From the top of the flight of stairs, I could see a light on below and I was instantly reminded of the numerous trips I had taken here with both Nina and Fabian. I pushed the memories of my two best friends away; one had deserted me, and she left the other here to slowly deteriorate.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, no amount of mental preparation could prepare me for the gruesome sight which lay in a twisted heap on the floor. I didn't recognize the bloodcurdling scream escaping from my throat until I felt two strong bodies dragging my limp body away from a vision which would forever be imprinted in my mind.

Shattered glass littered the floor. So many bottles, too many to count, all from Victor's experiments, lay in empty ruins. Blood was splattered across every visible surface, the source being Fabian. His hand was tightly gripping a large shard of glass, and numerous cuts, both deep and superficial, littered his body. The worst one was a large gash across his forehead, which I imagine happened when he went to sweep his hair to the side with the glass in hand.

As if the sight of all of this wasn't bad enough, his body was pale, lifeless. All color was completely drained, and his face had a haunting appearance, reminding me of his eyes for the past three months.

I knew, in this moment, that there was no way I could ever forgive her. Nina.

_We found him with his face down in the pillow_  
><em>With a note that said I'll love her till I die<em>  
><em>And when we buried him beneath the willow<em>  
><em>The angels sang a whiskey lullaby<em>

Throughout the next week, I watched in a daze as police came and went. Everyone cried: Fabian's parents, Trudy, Mick, Mara, Patricia, Jerome, and Alfie, even Victor cried once. I was too far withdrawn to cry. After my screaming in the cellar, I had not uttered a single sound. I could not bring myself to show any of the pain I felt inside, for I knew that by doing so, I would never recover.

I listened silently as Trudy told me that the police found a sweater in Fabian's grip. I nodded once to confirm that it belonged to Nina. When she showed me the note written in his handwriting, I pushed out of the chair and concealed myself in my room. The words made me hate Nina even more.

_"I'll love her till I die."_

The six remaining occupants of Anubis house gathered in the foyer, veiled in black. Somehow, with Fabian's death, we had temporarily reunited as a family, broken as we may be. We stood in a loosely shaped circle, waiting for the car which would drive us to the funeral. None of us spoke, and none of us made eye contact. After all this time, I was still unable to figure out how our perfect lives had spiraled out of control in the past three months.

Just as we were preparing to file outside, the door creaked open. A fury, one I had never felt before in my entire life, took hold of my body as I rushed forward, slapping the girl I had come to loathe across the face. For the first time, since the day she left, I cried. However, these tears were pure anger. As I went to slap her again, or perhaps even punch her, I felt a hand grab my wrist.

Patricia held my wrist firm in her grasp as tears running down her cheeks ruined the little makeup she had managed to put on. I began backing away, as if being in the mere vicinity of Nina was burning me. And in truth, it did; there was a fury lit in my veins.

Nina looked beyond confused as she stared blankly at each face of her old housemates; the ones she abandoned. And then I realized what she was really looking for, but she would never find him, for she came a week too late.

Leaning against the tree which had been the shade for more than one Sibuna meeting, I glared at Nina who stood directly across from me. The only thing between us was a shiny, metal casket which held the broken body of a broken boy.

As I walked away from the grave, abandoning Nina, just as she had abandoned us, I heard an angel singing. I turned partially to see Nina, arms wrapped tightly around her slim frame, humming lightly to herself.

_Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala_

**_There is another verse sung by Alison Krauss, but I'm not sure if I will write another chapter for that verse or not._**

**_I hope everybody listens to the song! My favorite part is the Lalalalalalala (weird, I know)_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_I decided to complete the song so here is Part Two of Whiskey Lullaby. The story is still in Amber's POV, though she is kind of a rollercoaster of emotions._**

**_rducky: I did write the next part, due to your suggestion so I hope it fits the song okay._**

**_A Reviewing Reader: You should post the poem! I really like depressing poetry for some strange reason; my favorite writer is actually Edgar Allen Poe. I didn't realize I was making a Twilight reference, though I can see why you thought that. _**

**_Earlie-Birdie-Girlie: Okay, I tried the second verse! I wouldn't say the chapter is amazing though. I only wrote the first chapter to try to get the song out of my head, but I'm glad I am not the only person who likes the lalalalalalala._**

**_Angela1997: Sorry it was sad. Considering the lyrics, I couldn't think of a way to make it happy._**

_The rumors flew but nobody know how much she blamed herself  
>For years and years she tried to hide the whiskey on her breath<br>She finally drank her pain away a little at a time  
>But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind<br>Until the night_

A year passed relatively quickly. After the funeral, Nina had moved houses. It came as no surprise. Not a single person in Anubis House was willing to hear her excuses or talk to her at all for that matter. Life was dull, and I couldn't even bring myself to be excited as prom came and went. Now graduation was approaching. After the year and a half of hell I had just lived through, I was thrilled to finally be able to leave behind this dreaded boarding school

I would have left sooner, but my father had forbidden me from doing so. Anyone who had known me two years ago would say that I have matured a lot. I was certainly more withdrawn, I had even managed to pass all of my classes with high marks. But the truth was, I hadn't matured, I had just quit on ever maintaining a social life again. Losing your two best friends does that to you.

I found it exhausting to pin my hair up and adorn the silver graduation dress and spread makeup across my face. There really was no point. I no longer held the school reputation at the perfect blonde cheerleader. I more closely resembled Mara now a day; sometimes even Patricia when my anger spiked.

The eight occupants, Joy had moved back in, as well as a new student, gathered once again in the foyer, waiting to be led to the auditorium where we would receive our diplomas. As the door creaked open, I had a strange sense of dejavu. Luckily, rather than the face of my once best friend, I saw another student.

She looked fairly familiar; I had probably passed her in the hall hundreds of times since coming to this school when I was eleven. She had tan skin and short, straight chocolate brown hair which reached just above her shoulders. I had to admit, the navy dress she wore looked marvelous on her.

She looked nervously from face to face as she closed the door behind her. I had never been one known for my timidity so I stepped in front of her. "What do you need?"

I had meant to speak nicely, but somehow the question sounded snippy. The girl's eyes widened a fraction, but at least she had the sense to answer. "My name is Tammie. I was wondering if Nina was still here. She is my roommate."

Anger bubbled up within me and I had half a mind to slap this girl who was probably Nina's new BFF. "What makes you think she is here?"

"S-she said she needed to visit one of her old housemates; something about apologizing and making amends."

My glare hardened. No one here would ever listen to any of her apologies. "Did she say which housemate?"

"No. Nina hardly ever talks to me. I have been her roommate for almost a year now and I know absolutely nothing about her."

That statement confused me. I figured that Nina would have moved on with her life, but apparently she was as stuck in the past as the rest of us.

I turned around abruptly. I didn't feel like interrogating this girl any further; I just needed to see who Nina had come to apologize to. "Which one of you did Nina talk to?"

I heard Mara gasp in shock and I received numerous confused gazes. Everyone shook their heads no mumbling stuff about how they had hardly even seen her at school. And then I felt that sinking feeling in my gut. The feeling grew as I thought it through.

_She put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger  
>And finally drank away his memory<br>Life is short but this time it was bigger  
>Than the strength she had to get up off her knees<em>

Nina needed to speak with one of her old housemates. She needed to apologize. And she had never shown up at the house. I felt the tears well in my eyes as I felt drawn towards the grave which I had not visited in nearly a year.

Before anyone could stop me, I was out the door, flying down the steps, and sprinting towards the clearing in the woods. I stopped briefly to kick off the heels which I now regretted choosing over a pair of comfortable flats. Footsteps pounding on the path behind me grew louder, but I continued at my previous pace.

The scream was out of my throat before I even saw the body. It all clicked together; Nina had finally made her amends. The guilt, the pain, must have finally eaten her up inside, otherwise I would not be panting in the middle of the forest, staring as her pale, limp form draped over Fabian's final resting place.

_We found her with her face down in the pillow  
>Clinging to his picture for dear life<br>We laid her next to him beneath the willow  
>While the angels sang a whiskey lullaby<em>

The day of the funeral was much the same as the one from over a year ago. After seeing the picture Nina had been clutching in her final moments of life, it had been decided that she would lie forever next to Fabian.

Throughout the ceremony, Trudy stood with her arm around me, supporting me. I kept glancing around, trying to find Nina's grandmother; however, there were no elderly women present.

"Trudy?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Where is Nina's grandmother? I thought she would be here."

I felt Trudy's grip on my shoulder tighten. "Nina's gran passed away. That's why Nina was gone for three months last year."

I stared straight ahead, frozen in shock. "I…I didn't know that."

Trudy sighed lightly, out of sadness. "Yes, Nina begged me not to mention it to anyone. She was so torn up over it, I just couldn't say no to her, dearie. Apparently, she didn't want any of you pitying her."

I buried my head into Trudy's shoulder, giving into a whole new round of tears. Nina hadn't abandoned me or Fabian. We had just never given her the time to explain. We must have been horrible friends if Nina thought we would treat her differently because she had no family. Because she did have family; Mick, Mara, Jerome, Patricia, Alfie, Trudy, Fabian, and I were her family.

As the funeral ended, I stayed behind on my own. I must have whispered how sorry I was a hundred times before I finally began to leave. Once again, I paused when I heard the voice of an angel, only this time there were two singing.

_Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala_

I turned my head, smiling at the figures standing in the only light which was cast through the leaves of the willow tree. Fabian and Nina were finally together, and this time, nothing could separate them, for they had defeated the greatest threat. They defeated Death.

_Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala…Lalalalalalala_

**_Well that's the end of this song! Hopefully I can finally stop humming it to myself in class!_**


End file.
